THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2008

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Local Lawmakers Shoot Down Pay Hikes

Illinois state senators overwhelmingly rejected a 13.8% pay hike Tuesday (Aug. 12) by a vote of 44 "nays", zero "yeas" and three votes as "present." The raise would have seen some top lawmakers' pay shoot beyond $100,000.

The bill to stop the raise was authored in the State Senate by Sen. Susan Garrett (D-29th Glenview, Des Plaines) and co-sponsored by Sen. Dan Kotowski (R-33rd Elk Grove Village, Park Ridge).

Both senators said it was unacceptable to seek that much of an increase in a time when so many are facing economic hardship.

"Across the state residents have to stretch every dollar to make mortgage payments, to pay for health care, child care and utility bills. Raises for people in the private sector are few and far between. It should be the same for us in the public sector," said Kotowski.

In a recent interview with the Journal & Topics Newspapers, Garrett characterized the proposed raises as a "slap in the face" to both state employees, who were told to tighten their belts by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and to tax payers.

Garrett said that in addition to their salaries, which range from the upper $50,000's to upper $70,000's for legislators, lawmakers receive an additional allowance of $129 per day for food and housing while the legislature is in session plus a per mile fuel allowance. Both allowances change based on federal price indexes.

Earlier this year, Garrett and Assistant Senate Majority Leader Ricky Hendon (D-5th Chicago) got into a verbal sparing match over the issues, Hendon claimed that Garrett was a millionaire and did not need the raise herself, to which Garrett dismissed Hendon's comments saying he did not threaten her.

---Tom Robb